130 universities in UK: Half of new Cabinet studied at Oxford or Cambridge September 16, 2021 Almost half of Boris Johnson’s new Cabinet went to Oxford or Cambridge universities while over 60 per cent attended a private school. New Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Housing Secretary Michael Gove and Chancellor Rishi Sunak all attended Oxford University. Moreover, one in four of all Conservative MPs studied at one of the two prestigious universities, [...]
Sajid Javid defends the march back to the office despite SAGE warnings September 15, 2021 Health secretary Sajid Javid has defended the march back to the office after government scientific advisors warned it could trigger a spike in infections. Ditching work from home advice could push daily hospital admissions to rise to 7,000 by next month, experts advising the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) warned yesterday. However, the [...]
Watch as Putin oversees war games with Belarus September 14, 2021 Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw vast joint military exercises with Belarus on Monday ahead of his country’s parliamentary elections later this week, as NATO member Poland voiced concern over the drills. Watch the full report.
Support for Conservative party lags behind Labour days after NI tax hike September 10, 2021 Support for prime minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative party has slumped to its lowest level since 2019’s election, according to a new YouGov poll. The poll, first shared with the Times, showed that support for the Conservatives has dipped to 33 per cent, while Labour’s support has climbed to 35 per cent. While it is just [...]
Biden to announce all federal workers must be vaccinated September 9, 2021 US President Joe Biden is set to require all federal employees and government contractors to be vaccinated against coronavirus. Biden will sign an executive order on Thursday that will require federal workers to receive jabs against Covid-19, a source briefed on the matter told news agency Reuters. The Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans [...]
Khan launches London fund to welcome Afghan refugees after donations flood in September 9, 2021 Following a surge of donations, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan launched a new “London Refugee Response” fund to support the resettlement of Afghan refugees. About 9,000 refugees have arrived in the UK so far from Afghanistan, with up to 3,500 having arrived in London. The fund is a collaboration between City Hall, London councils and The London Community Foundation, set up [...]
Janet Yellen: US Treasury is in danger of running out of cash in October September 9, 2021 Janet Yellen has warned the US Treasury is in danger of running out of cash in October unless Congress raises the debt ceiling, as the government walks on a tight rope to avoid a possible US default. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers yesterday, the Treasury secretary said a “specific [...]
Boris Johnson: ‘Concerning’ number of unvaccinated Covid patients in hospital September 8, 2021 The Prime Minister has said he is concerned by the number of unvaccinated people being hospitalised with coronavirus. Three quarters of those hospitalised had not had a Covid jab, Boris Johnson told the BBC, in an interview at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. Johnson’s message to the unvaccinated was “come on now,” as he urged people [...]
Government wins vote on National Insurance hike September 8, 2021 The Prime Minister has won a vote to raise National Insurance for workers and employers to fund NHS and social care costs. The government won the vote by 319 to 248 votes after Boris Johnson said the 1.25 percentage point increase would raise £12bn a year. Opposition MPs criticised the government for breaking a manifesto [...]
AI-driven pharmatech firm agrees $70m partnership with Gates foundation September 8, 2021 AI-driven drug company Exscientia has agreed a $70m partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop virus treatments. The Oxford-based company and non-profit foundation will work on coronaviruses at first before expanding to develop therapeutics for influenza and Nipah virus. The partnership will develop small molecule therapeutics that are less susceptible to variants. [...]